Isle of Man - Mec Lir

What do you get when you mix together three of the Isle of Man's most well respected trad musicians with one of Scotland's fresh up and coming talents? Mec Lir - bringing foot stomping beats to some of your favourite trad tunes.

Wales - Dawnswyr Tawerin

Scotland - Feis Ros Ceilidh Trail

Fèis Rois launched its acclaimed Ceilidh Trail project in 2000. The first Ceilidh Trail was coordinated by Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis who spent three years working at Fèis Rois as an Education Officer.

Ireland - Hegarty School of Dance

The Hegarty School of Dancing (Scoil Rince Uí hÉigeartaigh) is based in Counties Kerry & Cork, Ireland, teaching children of all ages Irish Step & Ceili Dancing. Members of Hegarty School of Dance have been visiting Lowender Peran for over 30 years, and we’re absolutely delighted to have them back to the festival once again.

Bagas Crowd

Bagas Crowd, Cornish for fiddle group, was set up in 2001 by fiddle teacher and workshop leader Frances Bennett who wanted her students to get together to arrange and perform Cornish Celtic music. The group began meeting in Threemilestone Methodist Church Hall in 2002 when they became too numerous to fit into Frances’ front room!

Bolingey Troyl Band

We are a group of musicians and dancers that are enthusiastic about the Celtic revival and Cornish music and dance in particular. Bolingey is a hamlet just in-land of Perranporth, on the North coast of Cornwall. It is a village with a rich history, including a September Fayre and is an example of the kind of community entertainment from which the band & dancers draw their inspiration. There is a fine 17th century public house, The Bolingey Inn, which may also be considered a source of inspiration! We provide a variety of performances, for weddings, anniversaries, and festivals. We perform as a dance band, providing a caller and demonstration dancers, for parties or workshops; or we can work just as a band, to entertain at pubs, clubs.

Caracana

Caracana is an uplifting Nos Lowen or Cornish Ceilidh folk group, with music deriving from their native land of Cornwall, as well as Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Sweden, Brittany, Galicia, Eastern Europe and from their own compositions. The spirit of Caracana is reflected in their name, which means ‘the love of music’ in the Cornish language. The group was first formed over a decade ago, and their heartfelt music has been enjoyed by audiences throughout Cornwall. They have also represented Cornwall at the Interceltic Lorient Festival in France and were the support act for The Incredible String Band at The Eden Project.

City of Truro Pipes & Drums

The City of Truro Pipes and Drums formed in December 2011, with the objective to promote and develop piping and drumming in a relaxed,friendly,informal and progressive atmosphere. While our repitoire is based on traditional bagpipe music, we include modern tunes from throughout the world and continue to build on this. Our band members experience is varied with current members at different levels of ability. Membership is open to any person. We would warmly welcome new members; irrespective of experience, to come along to a practice session. Even if just out of curiosity. All tuition is free

Cornish Wrestlers

Wrestling is a distinct Cornish tradition that survives to the present day. The history of Cornish Wrestling goes back so far it is lost in the midst of time. The first mention of Celtic Wrestling appears in the ancient book of Leinster, referring to the sport being included in the Tailteann Games which date back to at least 1829 BC. We know Wrestling was established in Cornwall before the Roman invasion and that the Cornish meetings on Halvager Moor were held during the dark-ages. The Cornish contingent with Henry V at Agincourt (1415) marched under a banner depicting two Wrestlers “in a hitch”. The banner needed no words; the pictures of the wrestlers was enough to let anyone know the men of Cornwall were behind it. During the famous meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I of France (on the Field of the Cloth of Gold) a team of wrestlers representing the English king defeated the champions of France. This contingent, which humbled the French team, consisted entirely of men from Cornwall. Godolphin the chief wrestler had received the Royal command direct to bring his men to uphold the king’s honour at Calais. Wrestling is our national sport in Cornwall, a direct living link with our ancestors handed down through an un-broken chain, from father to son, brother to brother and friend to friend for over 3,000 years.

Falmouth Session Band

Tristan Kessell, Helen Reynolds, Chris Fayers and Ron Smith are the core of The Falmouth Session, playing trad Irish music for sessions, ceilidhs, barn dances, weddings, parties...anywhere you'd like music really! We have been playing together in Cornwall in various formations for many years. We play Irish tunes in a traditional session style - round a table with a few beers. We run regular fortnightly sessions at The Chainlocker in Falmouth (hence our name), and play at The Countryman in Piece, and The Blue Anchor, Helston. See the gigs page for more info. The Falmouth Session is also available as a ceilidh band with energetic and enthusiastic caller Chris Humphreys. We play for private parties and wedding receptions with Chris talking dancers through the figures, so suitable for everyone. We also play for Irish Set Dances, for which many of the tunes were originally written.

Matthi ab Dewi

Matthi ab Dewi (a.k.a Matthew Clarke) has written many many songs in Cornish and has won the PanCeltic Song contest with one of them too in 2005. He has spoken Kernewek since 1989 and promoted the language over that time. Among his claims to fame are introducing Lisa Simpson to Cornish in 2004 and making global news in 2006 with Beatles songs in Cornish. Matthi is also the man behind the Cornish radio service ‘Radyo an Gernewegva’ (www.anradyo.com) which supports the language and Cornish music at the same time. Re bo lowena dhywgh dhe’n goel / Have a joyous festival.

Hevva

Hevva was formed by an enthusiastic group of like-minded dancers and musicians who wanted to pool their extensive experience to promote, teach and display the traditional dances of Cornwall. The group has grown considerably from its beginnings and is now one of the foremost dance groups in Cornwall, recognisable by its distinctive traditional costume. Hevva performs extensively at home, and has also been privileged to represent Cornwall at festivals large and small further afield, especially in other Celtic countries.

Hornets

When the CUMPAS Cornish Music for Horns project known as 'The Horners', finished, Some of us decided to form The Hornets to continue playing the Cornish Tunes and playing on: Processions, Marches, Carnivals, Furry/Flora Dances, and other Traditional or Modern Community events and festivals as we had been, as well as doing gigs and dances both in and outdoor. We are based in Cornwall, but are happy to cross the Tamar, Channel, or even Oceans, to play in other Countries. We are already playing a Festival in Brittany this year.

Irish Dance Cornwall

Coming soon!

Keur Heb Hanow

Keur Heb Hanow (literally ‘Choir without a name’!) is a small, mixed group of 6 singers from West Cornwall. We sing in 4-part harmony with flute and piano accompaniment. Meeting through Cornish language classes, we discovered a mutual interest in singing, and enlisted a couple of spouses along the way! We have only been in existence a short time but our aim is to sing exclusively in the Cornish language and we are constantly looking for new songs to extend our repertoire. This consisted originally of traditional Cornish carols which we had translated into Cornish for us. In 2013 we won the Old Cornwall Shield for the Traditional Cornish Carols Class at the Cornwall Music Festival in Truro.

Kemysk

Kemysk, meaning ‘mixture’ in Cornish, are Cornish dance display team with members from the length and breadth of Cornwall. In 2014 we’ve enjoyed trips to Cwlwm Celtaidd in Wales, The Eden Project Pasty World Championships, Aberfest, Tredegar House Folk Festival, the Royal Cornwall Show and Sidmouth Folk Festival, as well as staging numerous local pub tours! We’re absolutely delighted to be working with the fantastic 50 Degrees choir from Penzance for the Kan ha Dons project, a choir we felt suitably matched our verve and enthusiasm for performing! Catch us in the Kan ha Dons concert on the Saturday afternoon.

MacQuarrie & Toms

Stuart MacQuarrie and Jamie Toms came together in 2014 to form a duo that would add its own contemporary twist to the growing modern Cornish folk scene. Since their formation MacQuarrie and Toms have forged a unique sound, incorporating modern effects units with traditional playing techniques to create a far bigger sound than might be expected from a guitar and fiddle duo. With rich basslines, loops and harmonies to complement their playing, MacQuarrie and Toms maintain an ‘acoustic’ sound while adding depth and texture to their music. Their EP ‘KYNSA’ released in August 2015 includes the duo playing their own material along with some new arrangements of Traditional Cornish tunes.

Michelle O'Connnor (Crafts)

Coming soon!

Mazed Tales

Liskeard umbrella man and droll teller Bill Chubb will bring some tales from Kernow east to this west Cornish feast. Near to all hallows so they’m spooky tales mind, tales of a ghostly white hare, bad tempered witches, a spectral coach..and a couple of sticky tales from Hallentide. Prepare to be aMazed. See Mazed Tales on Sunday afternoon at the Craft Fair in the Tea Room.

Movyans Skol Meythrin (Children's Cornish Lang. workshops)

MSM aims to provide bilingual Cornish/English language educational opportunities for children of nursery school age (between the ages of 2 and 5 years). This is achieved through our MSM pre-school network. MSM is a parent led initiative with strong links to the Cornish language community and educational and language specialists. Part of our role is to provide advice to parents and carers who are thinking of bringing their children up bilingually.

Newquay Old Cornwall Society

On Wednesday, December 21st, 1928 a public meeting was held in the Council Chamber for the purpose of forming a branch of the Old Cornwall Society in Newquay. The first President was Col. Sir Hugh B. Protheroe Smith. Our Society is a member of the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies and many towns and villages in Cornwall have such an organisation. A number of our members have been honoured with Bardships of the Gorseth Kernow, the Gorsedd of Cornwall. The Society has a banner, one of the finest in the County. In its centre is a pilchard on a shield.

Join them -

Newquay Town Band

Probably the oldest institution in the town, Newquay Band was founded in 1856 and has been entertaining visitors and residents of Newquay ever since. Regatta days and Cornish wrestling contest in the early days were some of the band's engagements. Leading the procession of the lifeboat through the town on August Bank Holiday was a formidable task starting in the morning and going through the day until the afternoon launch this continued up until 1934. Newquay Band has a long history of entertaining Newquay's visitors, with records dating back to the 1800's. As Newquay's popularity with holidaymakers increased during the 1930's and with sponsorship from the Urban District Council a full time Musical Director Mr. Moyle was appointed. During the 1940's and 50's under Mr Moyle's direction the band became one of the top band in the county.RE

Newquay Rowing Club Singers

Newquay Rowing Club is where modern Cornish Pilot Gig racing started and it is still home to the Treffry, a boat built in 1838 and used as a standard design for all new gigs. Gigs were originally used to take the pilot out to the sailing ships. They were designed to be fast on Cornish waters because the gig reached the ship first received the money for the job. The fifteen strong Newquay Rowing Club Singers desire for a singing session after a good session out on the oars. If sea conditions permit we have an invitation to go down to the Rowing Club situated in Newquay Harbour and see the gigs in action on Sunday of Lowender Peran. Look out for further information during the festival.

Newquay U3A

The primary role of the U3A is to provide life-enhancing and life-changing opportunities for learning for semi-retired and retired people, either to gain new knowledge and insights or to expand on what they already have. New interests, entertainment and companionship are enjoyed, and members are encouraged to contribute by offering their own skills and knowledge to other members. The organisation is a self-help one and, here in Newquay, the leaders come from within the group so that costs are kept to a minimum. The Newquay U3A is now entering its 9th year, and our present membership has grown to approximately 200. We have between 70/100 members attending the monthly general meetings at the Lane Theatre (click on monthly meetings for map & directions), when various Speakers are invited to inform and entertain us after our social get-together over refreshments. We currently have over 28 smaller interest groups covering some 25 varied subjects, meeting as required in a wide variety of venues or each others homes and are entirely voluntary. New groups can be set up at any time by two or three members having a common interest.

North Cornwall Ceili Band

Barns, pubs, village halls and castles, our busy gigs list takes us everywhere but the high spot of the year is always coming back to Lowender Peran. We are delighted to be playing for this year’s new ‘Ceili on the Green’ on Newquay’s Killacourt. Our spiritual home really as Merv’s Great Granny used to play for dancing (troyls) at the end of the Pilchard season in the fish cellars below these cliffs in the 1880s.

Penzance Guisers

Penzance Guizers were formed in May 2012 to learn the art of guising from Tudor times to the present. The workshops, run by Helen Musser, cover all forms of Cornish dance and it’s revival history, historical folk and court dance, with an accent on technique. Last winter saw them developing their skills in another Mummers Play. They have performed in public on many occasions including Montol, Lafrowda, Golowan and during the Twelve Days of Christmas, guising with their own regular band, with the Turkey Rhubarb band and at a Jacobean event with Ros Keltek. This summer they perform at the International Day of Dance in the National Botanical Garden of Wales, Carmarthen.

Pol Hodge

Coming soon!

Red River Singers

The Red River singers are an informal group beginning life in 2012 and like to sing mostly in the pub! They specialize in Cornish songs, including the well-known pub songs, older folksongs and those in the Cornish language. Rehearsing at Heartlands in Pool has led to them developing quite a repertoire of mining songs. They are led by Hilary Coleman singer and musician with the well known Cornish band Dalla, bard of the Gorsedh and Cornish music teacher/trainer with many years experience in schools and communities.

Ros Keltek

Ros Keltek perform, teach and promote Cornish dance and music. With experience of over 30 years, we have represented Cornwall in England, Wales, the Isle of Man, Brittany, Ireland, Galicia, Belgium, Germany, Romania and the USA, sharing our love of Cornwall and it’s culture with others.

Rubber Band

The Rubber Band are based in the Tamar Valley and as well as a busy band in their own right lead a number of folk traditions in the area including the procession for the Cotehele Wassail together with the Callington May Fest and provide the musical entourage for the Calstock Giant, Tavy, each May.

Samba Band

Coming soon!

Cornwall Shinty Club

Come along and give it a go! Whilst its great to have experienced players, most of our players had never played before this year. We have sticks and balls you are welcome to borrow to get you started and all you really need if you get into it is some shin pads and for the guys a cricket box/abdominal guard, so you needn't break the bank. "Most people will not know that this game was one of the most popular games in Cornwall until the 1920's when it almost died out. It is rarely played there now, but they were once the champions of the sport." Well that's all about to change...

Silvia Lowe (Children's Songs)

Silvia Lowe is a singer and guitarist based in Perranporth. Taking inspiration from a wide range of folk and country artists, Silvia will be performing in the ’ Kan Ha Dons Project’, a Feast-funded project which explores the tradition of singing for dancing in Cornwall. She will be singing traditional Cornish songs to accompany Cornish dance group Tan ha Dowr.

Splann

Cornwall based ‘Splann’ is a ceilidh barn dance band that delves into some of the best Scottish, Irish and Cornish tunes to get your wedding, festival, corporate function or party swinging with style. Splann Ceilidh Band Cornwall play for ceilidhs and barn dances across Cornwall and Devon and beyond. The core of the band is a three piece (consisting of fiddle, accordion and guitar) which is guaranteed to get your event or celebration up and dancing with driving reels and swirling jigs. We can also add drums and bass to the line up to create the Splann ‘Big Band’. As the name suggests, this creates a bigger rockier sound. The choice is yours, just pick the line up that suits your event or size of venue – from small village halls to stages at festivals. Lastly, our caller, Ellie, will be there to talk you through each of the dances before they start, ensuring that whether you are seasoned ceilidh dancing expert or this is your first time at a barn dance you’ll feel confident on the night. Whether your event is in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset or Dorset, Splann will give it a real Celtic flavour.

Tan ha Dowr

Tan ha Dowr are Cornwall’s leading youth dance display team based in Bodmin. They’re delighted to be performing in the dance spectacular on Friday night at this year’s festival.

Telynores

Telynores are four Cornish harpists who have played together since December 2013, shamelessly delighting the customers of the Lanivet Inn and Bodmin Plant Nursery on random occasions, with arrangements of tunes and songs from Wales, Scotland and the deepest reaches of Cornwall. Anne Hughes, Anna Dunstan, Sally Pestell and Jo Tagney hope you enjoy their Lowender Peran debut as much as they intend to!

The Changing Room

A clean sweep for Cornish band The Changing Room at the 2015 International Pan Celtic Festival Looe-based folk band The Changing Room scored a hat trick for Cornwall at the 2015 International Pan Celtic Festival. Held in Derry, Ireland the festival celebrates the cultural links between the Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany and the Isle of Man. The Changing Room, led by Tanya Brittain and Sam Kelly, won three prizes at the glittering international event despite stiff competition from the other Celtic nations: best traditional band, best new song in traditional style, and the International Pan Celtic Song Contest.

The Grenaways

The Grenaways could be said to be mining the rich veins of inspirational ore that course through their home turf, adding a sense of their own ties to the region and especially it’s Celtic heritage. But, they are a band set for far wider horizons than just Cornwall with a massive and alternative sound billowing through their musical sails… They are rootsy storytellers, unique in the folk style, with songs that are rich in nautical undertones, influenced so much by the sea, the people and coastal living.

The Perraners

With songs from the singing traditions of Cornwall, The Perraners are delighted to be opening the first night of the first Lowender Peran in Newquay. They formed in 2000 after a pubsinging workshop at Lowender Peran in their hometown of Perranporth. Ian Marshall led that session with his own wonderful arrangements and then went on to become Musical Director of the group. The Perraners are a mixed choir with the tune usually in the tenor section, creating unusual and catchy harmonies. We look forward to sharing our repertoire with the local rowing club singers and hope you’ll grab a drink and join in.

The HFC Youth Dance

HFC’s Youth Theatre company comprises three groups covering the ages of 7 to 21 years.
It’s a great opportunity to meet new people and develop performance skills with support and guidance from trained and experienced practitioners.
At the helm is Artistic Director Simon Harvey, one of Cornwall's most respected performers and directors - known for his work with Kneehigh Theatre and o-region.
As well as offering a chance to improve your abilities, there will be various performance opportunities throughout the year.

The Stowes

Welcome to the home of The Stowes! From here you can catch up with all of our gig dates, new tunes, videos as well as contact information and each band member’s random blogged thoughts. If you haven’t had the pleasure of listening to The Stowes yet then you are in for a treat…… The Stowes are a traditional Folk and Ceilidh band from Cornwall, UK who play a lively mix of Traditional Folk, of mainly Cornish,Irish and Scottish origin, as well as original Folks Songs and a few Contemporary Songs with a folky twist. With a full-bodied combination of piano accordion, stomp box, guitar, bouzar and banjo, The Stowes can fill up any venue, small or large, with toe-tapping music to get the crowds going.

Towl Ros Project

Coming soon!

Tros an Treys

Tros an Treys is a Cornish dance group that was formed in spring 2008 and is based in Penzance. The name means ‘noise of feet’, and the group wears the colours of the Cornish Chough (red, black and silver). Our dancers are from all age ranges and abilities, and our band loves to play Cornish music, old and new! We run open sessions/classes on Sunday afternoons and have danced at Aberfest, Royal Cornwall Show, Wadebridge Folk Festival, Golowan, St Ives September Festival, Lowender Peran and many smaller events. As well as dance displays the group also play for troyls and nos lowens.

Tyn Daga

Tyn Daga is a critically acclaimed trio playing local music from around the world. The West Cornwall based group has a wide ranging repertoire, encompassing lively dance tunes to haunting and moving melodies and captivating, rarely-heard time signatures. We draw inspiration from Cornish, English, Celtic and Irish music, tunes from the Balkans and Eastern Med, old and new alike. We also play original tunes and songs. Our sound features Uilleann (Irish) pipes or Irish whistles, acoustic guitar (often using alternate and open tunings), backed by a variety of world percussion and arranged in our unique style.